“A wildly diverse improviser/composer/arranger with a penchant for unorthodox instrumental combinations, guitarist Joel Harrison has sustained one of the most unpredictable discographies of the last decade with his chimerical mix of jazz, blues, chamber music, African and Indian folk music, Appalachian tunes and old school country songs.”
- All About Jazz
Want to hire one of
Joel’s Ensembles?
Commission a Piece or
Contact Joel for Booking
“Definitions blur, and suddenly it no longer matters whether Harrison improvises or composes. Whether his playground is jazz, pop, folk, country, or classical it all comes down to this: imagination without limits.”
- Jazzthing, Germany
“Add Joel Harrison to Metheny and Frisell as guitarist/ composers who have created a new blueprint for jazz.”
- New Orleans Times Picayune
Ensembles
2012
This is a “chamber-jazz” project from a cd due out in early 2012 on Sunnyside
Ensemble Members: Donny McCaslin, Gary Versace, Chris Howes, Dana Leong, Stephan Crump, Clarence Penn, and myself
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
All original music combining Indian, jazz, country/blues
Ensemble Members: Anupam Shobhakar (sarod), Joel Harrison (guitar), Gary Versace (piano), Stephan Crump (bass), Dan Weiss (drums)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
get more info & audio clips >
To bring under one roof those sounds I most love
Ensemble Members: Anupam Shobhakar, Joel Harrison, Drew Gress, Ben Wendel, Dan Weiss, Matt Ward, Michael Lipsey, Tom Kolor, David Cossin
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
2011
A twenty person jazz orchestra with my most ambitious writing yet
Featuring: Donny McCaslin, Marty Ehrlich, Shane Endsley, Curtis Fowlkes
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
get more info & audio clips >
Ensemble Members: JH and Liberty Ellman- (guitars), Christian Howes, Sam Bardfeld, Mat Maneri, Dana Leong (string quartet)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Arrangements of country, African, jazz pieces
Ensemble Members: Foday Musa Suso (kora), Tony Trischka (banjo), Joel Harrison (acoustic & electric guitar)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Other Ensembles
Featuring Variously: Donny McCaslin, Gary Versace, Stephan Crump, Christian Howes, Jordan Perlson
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
get more info & audio clips >
Arrangements of Jimmy Guiffre’s music co-led with drummer George Schuller
Featuring: George Schuller, Ohad Talmor, Jacob Garchik, Marty Ehrlich, Cameron Brown
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.